Chapter 0178: Xie Chengze Drenched in Filth, Chen Yushi Spouting Nonsense
Members of the Cao family serving as court officials now stepped forward, impeaching Xie Chengze. Though he had merits in Liaozhou, they argued he had lured the Emperor away from the capital, leaving the palace without its master and causing excessive financial waste in various regions for clearing snow-covered roads. Such actions burdened the people and drained resources, essentially sacrificing the whole country’s welfare for the benefit of Liaozhou alone. Not only did this negate his achievements, but it also revealed the Second Prince as shortsighted and overly ambitious—conduct unbecoming of a royal prince.
In an instant, all of Xie Chengze’s past accomplishments were erased, leaving him drenched in filth.
Moreover, evidence of crimes committed by his already scarce private retainers was brought forth, stripping him of his last vestiges of power in the court and reducing him to a leader without followers.
Such deliberate targeting made it clear: someone feared the Second Prince’s recent successes and sought to drag him into the mud.
“Your Majesty! Even if the Second Prince has some achievements, they were accomplished through risky strategies that could have easily led to complete failure. If such methods are rewarded, everyone will follow suit in the future. Who, then, will bear the losses from potential mistakes?”
“Even if the Second Prince contributed in Liaozhou, it was only by leveraging the imperial family’s prestige! Nothing but opportunism! Officials should be steadfast and diligent—the Second Prince’s unconventional ways are hardly commendable!”
“The Second Prince’s past misconduct should not be overlooked! Otherwise, where is the dignity of our nation’s laws? This subject believes the Second Prince is unworthy of being enfeoffed as a prince. He should return all embezzled assets, disband Cheng Huan Palace to replenish the national treasury, be demoted to a commoner, and banished from the capital forever!”
Xie Chengze listened with a grim face throughout. Only when the impeaching officials finally fell silent did he turn to glance at Xie Jinyu.
That glance was as faint as stilled boiling water in a teacup—seemingly calm and cold, yet scalding enough to feel like it would strip a layer of skin from whoever touched it.
“Second Brother…” Xie Jinyu’s heart tightened, and he whispered, “It wasn’t me…”
Among the impeaching officials were indeed his men, many from the Cao family, but he had never instructed them to do this!
She must have taken matters into her own hands again!
“Does it matter if it’s you or not?” Xie Chengze let out a light scoff. “See, my Crown Prince brother? Whether I am mediocre or brilliant, some people will never let me be.”
When he was nine, they feared and used him.
At twenty, they still feared and used him.
Even without royal blood, the Empress and the Cao family saw him as a thorn in their side; even as the son of the woman Emperor Jian loved, it did not stop the Emperor from molding him into a foil for the Crown Prince; even when he could have led Jian’an to prosperity, the parasites lurking in the court bared their fangs, eager to tear into his flesh.
They stripped his soul, drove out his spirit, and upon his return, couldn’t wait to demote him to a commoner, ensuring he would never shake the Crown Prince’s position.
Little did they know, the child forced into this role had initially sought only “survival.” It was their fear and instigation that step by step pushed him onto the path of seizing power, making the Crown Prince his nemesis.
Emperor Jian saw that he was being manipulated to seize power, so he took advantage of the situation to temper the Crown Prince, allowing the Crown Prince to rise to prominence by stepping on his reputation, yet never discouraged or guided him toward the right path. He indulged him, gathering all the world’s rare delicacies and treasures for him, but this was to accumulate reserves for Jian’an’s revival, not truly intending to bestow the empire’s finest treasures upon him.
Of course, he did not know that child, who feared being purged, in the original work never used a single treasure from Cheng Huan Palace until his death. The reason he was so greedy for wealth, voraciously taking the “gifts” offered by ministers, was precisely because the wealth in Cheng Huan Palace was not truly his “wealth.”
And those ministers—each with shrewd eyes spinning—dragged the Second Prince into the mire, aiming to install him as emperor. Wasn’t their goal to exploit the merit of supporting the throne to more brazenly amass power and wealth?
Sheng Shihai had the nursemaid relay a message to him, and it was quite apt.
“Second Prince, if one does not act for oneself, heaven and earth will destroy them. Moreover, this is what they owe you!”
Since you are unrighteous and unjust, do not blame me for being ruthless.
Xie Chengze suddenly curled a cold smile.
The next moment.
“Utter nonsense!”
An aged yet exceptionally vigorous voice rang out authoritatively. Chen Yushi of the Supervisory Council strode forward, planting his feet firmly, and pointed at the ministers who had spoken, berating them loudly: “Is this even human speech?!”
“The state has its laws, the family its rules! Though the Second Prince has made mistakes, it does not warrant reducing him to a commoner! And what of never entering the capital again? If the wealth the Second Prince greedily took deserves such severe punishment, then every one of you present should be beheaded and displayed as warnings!”
Chen Yushi, his face flushed with anger, pulled out over a dozen memorials from his sleeve and held them up for all the ministers to see. “Among these memorials in my possession, many contain evidence of crimes committed by those who just spoke. Though only a small portion, it is enough for His Majesty to order the Supervisory Council to investigate thoroughly!”
The ministers erupted in uproar. Chen Yushi had always been straightforward and upright; if he proactively presented a small portion of evidence, it meant he had already uncovered substantial proof—this was merely the appetizer!
“Chen Yushi! Are you trying to shield the Second Prince?!” one minister could not help but fume.
“Your Majesty!” Chen Yushi ignored the minister entirely, turning to Emperor Jian on the Dragon Throne and declaring resolutely, “The Second Prince has indeed erred, but he should only be punished according to our dynasty’s laws. As for his clever, risky strategies, though I do not understand statecraft, I know that capable individuals naturally have their ingenious methods.”
“The Second Prince is intelligent; saving the nation through unconventional means is hardly blameworthy. If later generations attempt to emulate him but fail to grasp the essence, that reflects their own inadequacy. How absurd it is to blame the capable for being too capable, rather than one’s own incompetence!”
After speaking, Chen Yushi knelt on both knees and said clearly, “This old minister only pleads for a thorough investigation of those mentioned in these memorials, to restore clarity and integrity to our Jian’an court!”
“May Your Majesty permit the Supervisory Council to investigate thoroughly!”
Behind Chen Yushi, several ministers from the Supervisory Council also stepped forward and knelt, echoing loudly to Emperor Jian.
“This…” Emperor Jian hesitated slightly, glancing at Prime Minister Li.
Li Ren stroked his beard and asked, “Chen Yushi, you seem to have over a dozen memorials there! If investigations prove all guilty, with some demoted and others dismissed… the court may be left with no one to serve!”
“Then promote those who deserve promotion! Give advancement to those worthy of advancement! If there are still vacancies, with the Spring Examination approaching, we can increase the number of successful candidates to fill these positions. This is far better than letting these old parasites occupy posts and gnaw away at our dynasty’s vitality!”
Chen Yushi now spoke without restraint, “Moreover, these are matters the Prime Minister should concern himself with—they have nothing to do with our Supervisory Council! Prime Minister Li, do not question this old official further, or I might suspect that you too are among the incompetent!”
Li Ren: …
You wretched old man!
“Hmm, with the Spring Examination approaching, it is indeed time to select some promising talents.” Emperor Jian nodded in agreement upon hearing this. “Zhao Quan, present the memorial. I wish to review it.”
“As you command.” Eunuch Zhao promptly took the memorial from Chen Yushi’s hands and presented it to the emperor.
After reading through it, Emperor Jian let out a cold laugh. He glared at the officials who had been slandering Xie Chengze and hurled the memorial down onto the palace floor!
“Excellent! No wonder all of you were so eager to impeach my Ze’er! You feared that once he started investigating corruption, he would uncover your crimes, so you wanted him driven out of Jingcheng, is that it?!”
“Guards! Take everyone named in this memorial into custody! Hand them over to the Supervisory Council for thorough investigation. If the allegations are confirmed, demote those who should be demoted, execute those who deserve execution, and exterminate the nine clans of those—cough, cough, cough—!”
Emperor Jian was seized by a violent coughing fit. He pressed a hand to his abdomen, catching his breath after a moment before continuing, “As for the Second Prince, he shall also be handed over to the Supervisory Council. All his ill-gotten gains are to be confiscated for the state treasury. He is to be confined to Cheng Huan Palace until the day of the Spring Examination!”
Having said this, the emperor couldn’t resist shooting a sidelong glance at Xie Chengze, inwardly grumbling.
He knew all too well that forcing Xie Chengze to attend court was the real punishment—house arrest was practically a reward for him!
No wonder he had suddenly appeared at court today; he had been aiming for this confinement holiday all along!
Below the hall, the officials who had been clamoring for the Second Prince’s expulsion from the capital were now wailing as the imperial guards dragged them away. Xie Chengze knelt with both knees on the ground, bowing deeply toward the emperor on the Dragon Throne, and declared solemnly, “Your son accepts his punishment!”
Yet, beneath his lowered, exquisitely handsome face, a sly, triumphant smile slowly crept across his lips.
The corrupt households he needed to investigate would soon be dealt with, and the heads that deserved to fall would soon roll.
By conveniently taking responsibility for the Second Prince’s past misdeeds, this wonderful, long vacation had finally arrived!